SDEA

September 11, 2013

InsIde the ADVOCATE

n Charter organIzIng key to strong ContraCt

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n do you know your workload rIghts?

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the ADVOCATESDEA Bargaining Commission sets ambitious goals

The SDEA Bargaining Commission has commenced work to organize for our upcoming round of negotiations in the spring of 2014. The Commission met on Aug. 27 for a training and planning session that involved an overview of the bargaining campaign. The Commission set an ambitious goal of reaching out to every member for input by conducting site-based listening sessions and input meetings throughout the fall and winter of 2013.

The Commission knows the

importance of preparing months ahead of time prior to actually going to the bargaining table. Preparation doesn’t just mean having a bargaining strategy at the table; it means having an organizing strategy away from the table, which is where every single member of our union plays a crucial role.

SDEA Association Representatives (ARs) will be provided bargaining campaign details at the upcoming Septem-ber and October Representative Council meetings.

NEA Representative Assembly Delegate Tchaiko Kwayana, Point Loma HS, speaks to her motion to more greatly empha-size African American history in our curriculum. Kwayana is one of 34 SDEA members to repre-sent our union at the NEA-RA.

Summer of SDEA: Union members stay cool... and active!

SDEA Bargaining Commission members discussed what it takes to win at the table at their first meeting of the 2013-2014 school year.

Showing their commitment to building union-strong schools, Association Representatives (ARs) and Council Representatives (CRs) attended summer trainings. Pic-tured here are ARs and CRs who attended Core Training, Part 1: Advocacy. First row, L to R: Rhoda Stephens-Yoder (Ericson El.); Jennifer Koonin (Jerabek El.). Second row, L to R: Trace Cimins (Hancock El.), Heather Jahn (Education Center), Ashley Duren (Pacific Beach MS), Claudia Elena Sanchez (Memorial Prep); Tom Martin (Henry HS), Tom Deets (Henry HS), Bradley Bang (Euclid El.), Dennis Kane, (Mission Bay HS). Third row: Mick Rabin (Oak Park El.).

In response to a spring survey, the SDEA Internal Professional Development (IPD) Committee members conducted trainings this summer to prepare mem-bers for the implementation of the Common Core Standards. For more information on all three items featured here, see page 2.

September 11, 20132 the adVoCate

SDEA STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tim Hill

UNISERV FIELD ORGANIZERSPat Alvarez Erin Clark Jonathon Mello Anthony SaavedraAbdul Sayid Morgan Thornberry

CONTROLLER/PROPERTY MANAGERDiana Hayes

CONTRACT SPECIALISTSRafal DobrowolskiLarry Moreno

SECRETARYMaureen Purvis

ACCOUNTING ASST./SECRETARYNanette Najera

AFL-CIO

SDEA OFFICERS

10393 San Diego Mission Rd. Ste. 100, San Diego, 92108

Phone Fax (619) 283-4411 (619) 282-7659

Web Email www.sdea.net advocate@sdea.net

The SDEA Advocate is published monthly by the San Diego Education Association and paid for in full by advertising revenue. Advertising rates are available upon request.

PRESIDENT Bill Freeman

VICE PRESIDENTLindsay Burningham

SECRETARY Michelle Sanchez

TREASURERManuel Gomez

SDEA BOARDAREA I

Monique Anderson Ramon Espinal Scott Mullin

AREA IIVACANT Eleanor Evans Nancy Dosick

AREA IIIJenny Rivera Kristin BrownStephanie Marble

AREA IVPeter Burrell Teem OsborneMelody Welch

A flurry of activity for SDEA this summer

Letters in SolidarityBill FreemanSDEA President

Lindsay BurninghamSDEA Vice President

Bill FreemanSDEA President

Lindsay BurninghamSDEA Vice President

There’s an old adage that a union’s work is never done. This was especially true over the summer break for many SDEA members.

The summer started off with more than 34 SDEA members attending the NEA Representative Assembly Conference in Atlanta. There, SDEA members successfully coordinated a measure that was adopted by our union’s national body, to ensure that the Common Core State Standards are not used as yet another “high stakes” test.

In early August, SDEA members participated in CTA’s Summer Institute at UCLA. The Summer Institute provides an opportunity for union leaders from across to state to come together for trainings on pressing issues. SDEA Vice President Lindsay Burningham participated in the Summer Institute’s advanced bargaining training, while several other SDEA members participated in professional development and emerging leader trainings.

Also, as a result of member input to SDEA’s leadership we launched an Internal Professional Development (IPD) training program over the summer. SDEA member Iris Anderson and the IPD committee did an outstanding job surveying

members and creating and administering the initial trainings. The IPD classes were well attended and more are planned for the future.

Leadership trainings were also conducted over the summer for ARs, CRs and other interested union activists. These trainings taught our new union leaders how to advocate for members and build member power by organizing educators at their sites.

We’ve also continued to hold the District accountable throughout the summer in dealing with the District’s haphazard excessing of so many of our fellow educators. Our staff and leaders also have continued to work alongside CTA budget experts to ensure that the District is correctly implementing the state’s new method for funding education.

The reality is that even after all that was accomplished over the summer, we still have work to do. The coming year will be extremely important as we begin bargaining a new contract, and the work done over this past summer lays a solid foundation as we prepare for the bargaining table.

SDEA Election AnnouncementA re-run election for one SDEA Board seat and one CTA State Council seat, as well as a special election for one vacated SDEA Board seat and two vacated CTA State Council seats, will be held Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2013. The election will be conducted via paper ballots which will be mailed to members’ home and/or site. Materials for the election are available at www.sdea.net/about/sdea-elections.

Unionizing charters key to our bargainingThe landscape of charter schools in San Diego

continues to mirror the growth and expansion trend that the rest of the country is seeing. As more charter schools open and their student enrollment increases, we’ve seen a corresponding drop in SDUSD student enrollment. SDUSD estimates that enrollment in public charter schools will increase by 6.2% in the 2013-14 school year, and enrollment in District schools will continue to drop by 1.1%. This past year, the number of public charter schools has increased from 42 to 46, with only four of them unionized: Darnall Charter School, Harriet Tubman Village Charter School, Iftin Charter School and Iftin University Prep Charter High School.

Talking to educators at non-union charter schools and helping them to become union is not only key to strengthening the education profession and our power to advocate for our students, but also is important in defending the hard-won rights and benefits in our SDEA-SDUSD union contract.

As the SDEA Bargaining Commission begins to engage members in preparation for bargaining to strengthen and protect our contract, SDEA staff and leadership will be doing outreach to members on the very important role you can play in helping to bring new charter educators into our union. Call SDEA Charter Organizer Pat Alvarez at 619-283-4411 for more information.

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September 11, 20134 the adVoCate

Focus on Health: Know Your NumbersCholesterol can be tricky to understand, because not all is bad for you. Some cholesterol is actually good for you. That’s why September is named “Cholesterol Education” month. Keeping your cholesterol levels healthy is a great way to keep your heart healthy. It also lowers your chance of heart disease or stroke. The best thing you can do is know your cholesterol numbers.

"Focus on Health" is brought to you by VEBA. Celebrating 20 years of service to California school employees.

Making Health Care Better for Everyone

Get the facts:• Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and food. Your body makes about

75% of blood cholesterol. The rest comes from the food you eat. Cholesterol is only found in animal products.

• HDL Cholesterol is the “healthy” cholesterol. A healthy level helps keep LDL cholesterol from clogging your artery walls, and it may protect against heart attack and stroke.

• LDL Cholesterol is the “lousy” cholesterol. When too much of it circulates in the blood it can clog arteries, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels By:• Eating a diet low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.

• Enjoying 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for a total of 150 minutes a week.

• Avoiding tobacco smoke.

For more information visit the American Heart Association at:www.heart.org/conditions and click on the “Cholesterol” tab.

Know your Numbers with VEBA!

VEBA often provides screenings at school district health fairs and open enrollment meetings. Please check with your benefits office or district employee wellness committee to find out if on-site screenings are planned. Remember, your routine health screening visit with your primary provider often includes a cholesterol check. Schedule your screening soon and ask about your cholesterol.

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